More Titles Announced at 3DS Conference

Along with announcements of Monster Hunter 4, Style Savvy and Fire Emblem, a few other noteworthy titles are making their way to the handheld as well.

The first is an entry in the Dynasty Warriors series, Dynasty Warriors Vs. It'll support four-player combat and should hit the 3DS in 2012.

Another that particularly caught our eye is a follow-up to the Japan-only DS game Friend Collection. This quirky game puts your face, likely via Mii or face scan, onto an in-game character and lets them get married, start a family and more.

The turn-based strategy title Culdcept will also make its way to the system. The series saw an entry on the DS in 2008, and the new Omiya Soft developed title will feature network support and is due in 2012.

A new RPG is also on the way from Square Enix called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. It's a classic-style JRPG featuring Akihiko Yoshida characters and is due for 2012 release.

Also on the list was a rhythm game, titled Hatsune Miku Project Mirai, which features Nendoroid-style characters and AR support for live concerts.

A gundam game called SD Gundam G Genration 3D was also shown off, as well as a PokePark 2 for Wii (yes, odd for a 3DS conference) and an online-supported 3DS soccer game called Culchobit. It was also stated that in Animal Crossing 3DS, you can play as the chief of the village and help build it up.

Also exciting is news that Nintendo plans to refine the eShop even further, with an improved Mii Plaza and more 3D video footage.

Finally, the conference kicked off with some footage of Skyward Sword that shows Link drawing, catching butterflies in a net and seeking treasure with some sort of divining rod, all with the MotionPlus peripheral.

Many of these titles are yet to be confirmed for the West, but we'll have more information as it becomes available. What are you looking forward to most?

WOW! IT'S OFFICAL!!! Nintendo has NO CLUE about Western gaming. Every single announcement was an RPG...except for Mario Tennis, which is about as xciting as watching an elderly woman knit. 90% of the 3DS games shown will never come to America. There are almost ZERO hardcore games in the 3DS's future. Kid Icarus can barely be considered hardcore. And once you get past Resident Evil and Metal Gear, there's...nothing. I'm switching over to the Vita. Actually I haven't gotten a 3DS yet. I've been playin my DSi XL until ole Kris Kringle could drop a 3DS in my stocking. Now I'm just gonna ask the jolly old fat guy for Best Buy gift certificates so I can buy a Vita at launch. you BETTER stay tuned for the Tokyo Game Shows. Maybe a 3DS announcement or two, but the juicy part is a WHOPPING 18 unannounced Vita games being revealed. YEEEEEEEEHA

@Knux, there is no such thing as a Japan-only conference in 2011. There's a reason Nintendo live-streamed that conference: because they knew the world was watching.

The ONLY redeeming quality the 3DS has at this point is the Virtual Console. But at the rate Nintendo releases games and the fact they've never said GBA games will be available to all user, that quality is really only based on potential.

I'm not COMPLETELY abandoning the 3DS in favor of Vita...YET. The ONLY way the 3DS could win me back is to release some KILLER 3DSWare and Virtual Console games over the 17 or so weeks before Vita is launched and to announce at least a couple games that appeal to Western gamers over the age of 7. It's gonna hard to top the awesomeness of 18 new Vita game announcements at TGS though, 1 of which is almost guaranteed to be Call of Duty...which is kinda big in the West if you hadn't noticed.

p.s. Monster Hunter IS hardcore. but its an Eastern game. I think its pretty darn goofy that the characters have weapons 10 times the size of their body. I do think an M.H. game would be cool, but there's no proof to suggest either of those is coming to America.

@Shinobi: It sounds like you are complaining for the sake of complaining. For all we know, those titles could come to the 3DS in other countries. But it was a conference aimed at the Japanese, despite the fact it was aired worldwide.

I also noticed that Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Mario Tennis 3D, Cave Story 3D, Fire Emblem 3D, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, Sonic Generations, Shinobi, Paper Mario 3D, Luigi's Mansion 2, TWO Monster Hunter games, Resident Evil: Revelations, and many other games do not hold your interest. So it sounds like to me you cannot see the forest through the trees.

Also, define the word hardcore. Because that term is non-existent to me. Fire Emblem is as hardcore to me as any other video game out there.

I don't give a flying pluck about how many RPG's Japan wants to play, but that doesn't mean "OMG! I'm getting a Vita! Screw the 3DS!" GAH. I'm so SICK of seeing crap like that! I can't wait till the Vita is out so you people will get one and just GO. AWAY. /end rant.

I was stoked to see new footage from the games I am excited about (the Nintendo franchises) and the upcoming firmware update is also something I'm stoked for. Glad to see some of the more "hardcore" games coming too for those of you who like that kind of thing.

Fire Emblem is an RPG!! Pokemon is an RPG!! Turn based battles dont give you the same thrill as destroying things in real time. And there has never been a Call of Duty game poorly reviewed by critics or fans. Nintendo fanboys cant really speak on the subject of Call of Duty b/c they've never had a legit Call of Duty experience aside from weak ports and very limited DS versions.

I've played plenty of MW 1 and 2 and Black Ops, they just suck! Nintendo gamers don't like em because we play better games! Are people still playing COD1? No. Are people still playing Zelda 1? Hell yes! Because it's better! Modern Warfare 3 won't be played in 5 years, but Skyward Sword will!

@Shinobi: It doesn't matter what platform COD is on, it sucks regardless. I have played it on a non-Nintendo platform (Playstation 3) and it was boring as eff. I rather play a fun RPG than play a boring recycled FPS series that is overrated. I have way more fun with Fire Emblem, Pokemon, or any other RPG for that matter compared to playing a COD game. Again, your point is what?

@shinobi88 A gamer would have to be pretty sheltered to have never seen in action nor played Call of Duty on Xbox 360. It's a matter of taste — if you like first person shooters, you'll like Call of Duty; if you like platformers, you'll like Super Mario 3D Land. Running around with a gun blasting people is no more hardcore than stomping Goombas, it's just less imaginative and colorful.

@ Shinobi88: You're confusing "western tastes" with your own tastes. There are ample of westerners who enjoy RPGs, turn-based battles and even Pokemon. If there's nothing in this line-up that appeals to you, then so be it. But there are ample of people in the west looking forward to Monster Hunter 4 or Fire Emblem, just as a lot of them dislike Call of Duty.

I mean it was a Japanese event, but yea. I am just as dissatisfied with 3DS as Shinobi, and I've owned one since day 1! I own a 3DS because I love Nintendo games, but I am sick of buying their systems just for their games and some other half-ed features. I think a lot of gamers share my sentiment too.

Listen Westbert, if it was appealing to Western gamers it would be on Xbox 360. The only system built by Westerners FOR Westerners. And what are the dominant genres on 360? Real time action games. Specifically, 1st and 3rd person action games.

the topic i was speaking on is HARDCORE games. so come up w/ a legit reason I should believe Nintendo has any interest in appealing to Western hardcore gamers.

P.s. anybody thinking that the add-on was Monster Hunter exclusive, its been officially revealed that it will be compatible with pretty much every 3rd party action game in 2012what did I just say? knock it off with the insults please — TBD

@ Shinobi88: And that's why a huge portion of Westerners have a PS3 or a Wii instead of an Xbox. (Just out of curiosity: What about Infamous, Uncharted, God of War or Little Big Planet? Those are games which do not appeal to Western gamers, since they're not on the Xbox360? Just kidding)EDIT: And in your first opening sentence in your first post, you spoke about Western gaming in general, not HARDCORE western gaming. You seem to mix those two concepts. If you'd clarified earlier, a lot of this discussion (and insults) could have been avoided.

You guys seem to have fun time discussing about hardcore games.
To me, hardcore can be anything that´s challenging and fun, like Donkey Kong Country 2 or Super Mario Lost Levels or Super Smash Bros Melee etc. I´m a Western gamer and don´t really give a about shooters (maybe play those with my friends once in two or three months). XBox isn´t a hardcore platform for me, it´s just boring, only endless shooters, car games and other stuff I don´t care.
But in the end it´s a matter of opinion and we could continue this discussion till the world ends.

What Shinobi is saying is basically that he wants more hardcore games on 3DS and Nintendo isn't giving them to him. A lot of gamers (including myself) thought the 3DS was going to break the mold for Nintendo, and get 3rd parties on board. Be more of a 'core' friendly system. Well they didn't, and a lot of that has to do with the system's limitations, and a lot of it has to do with the 3DS not even up to the potential it's (limited) hardware has to offer on day 1 or even to this day.

@ Lionsgate: The problem is, there has never been a proper definition of "hardcore" games. Ample of people think Monster Hunter, Resident Evil or even Fire Emblem are suitably hardcore, others don't. And for a Nintendo console, the 'core' friendly system would be one with well known Nintendo games (since the 'core' would be the core Nintendo gamer), which would be Mario Land, Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, Luigi's Mansion, Fire Emblem etc.But as long as everyone has different and arbitrary definitions of hardcore or core, any discussion about them is moot (which is why I said the whole discussion could have been avoided if Shinobi88 had started with hardcore western gamers, since many would merely have ignored him then).EDIT: The only unified definition of hardcore I could gleam from discussions would be "Everything I like is hardcore and cool, and everything I dislike isn't and therefore rubbish".

I DO need to define Western hardcore games from my perspective. I'm speaking of America here. In America we like violence. It's what our country was built on. It's what our national heroes specialized in. It's in our most iconic phrases: "Say hello to my little friend" and "Yippee Ki Yay" Mother (blank)". The majority of guys in America between the ages of 10 and 40 like the idea of playing a game as a b@d@$$ guy or girl (gotta give Samus a lil love) who lay the smack down on the bad dudes. Yes, Contra is a perfect example.

Hardcore games aren't just about the challenge of the game. Yes, that's a factor. But it's also about the presentation. It's a tad more exciting to play as a rough looking, oversized, tattoo'd guy w/ a huge gun w/ a chainsaw attachment in Gears of War than playing as a portly plumber.

3DS DOES have SOME Western hardcore games on its plate. Metal Gear, Res. Evil, Ace Combat. But they represent a VERY small piece of the pie. Whereas, the Vita is concentrating mainly on that target group of hardcore Western gamers, so almost EVERY Vita game would appeal to that audience.

And something doesn't have to be R rated, dudes blowing holes in zombies, to be hardcore. Just take a look at a couple of EXTREMELY cool Vita games that are cartoony and fun, but still VERY hardcore ( WARNING: do NOT look at these games if you hate the Vita. you WILL be jealous) : Dragon's Crown, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, and Mutant Blobs Attack.

@ Shinobi88: So, you admit your definition of hardcore is entirely subjective, based on your own preferences and your perception of your surroundings (by the way, western civilization does not consist of America alone; the term "western gamer" encompasses a sizeable chunk of Europe as well, and Australia). So, an objective discussion about hardcore games is impossible. If your prefer the games for the PSvita, then by all means get one and enjoy it. But don't attack others merely for having a different definition of hardcore. For they too must define hardcore from their perspective.

@Wesbert, I see your point. And you're waaay too civilized to be American.

I may lose my hardcore merit badge since I've been eyeing Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove...at least Halloween IS the most hardcore holiday. You want a wicked awesome Halloween game for DS? Go with Goosebumps. I'm not blowin smoke. Got an avg. critic score of 7, which is pretty good. It's basically a mini-game collection but it's got a cool story to unlock and you get to walk your character around the park to look for stuff and find the next ride, aka mini-game. All the mini-games are fun, specially putt putt, bumper cars, and the roller coasters. And there's a buttload of challenges which award you with an unlockable. They ain't jokin when they say challenges, I've never beaten em all. If you like All Hollow's Eve, it's a no-brainer

I can't stop laughing, I'm sorry, but how is it possible to care this passionately about being THE ONE who gets to define the word "hardcore"? Why bother using a word that means different things to everyone?

I'm an entertainer, not just a complainer. ONE good thing did come out of that conference. The Zelda 4 Swords download will have a new single-player campaign. Tho, I'm a lil uncomfortable handling 4 guys swords by myself.

@ Shinobi88: I am truly sorry if I offended you by being unreasonably civilized Now let me get back to Xenoblade to chop up inoffensive forest animals to rob their corpses of precious materials...EDIT: Thanks to daznsaz for proving that I'm also waaay too civilized to be European. Sigh

@ WhiteLayer: Personally, I think the first person to find a fitting definition of "hardcore gaming" that all people can agree on would be a prime candidate for next year's Nobel Peace Prize, for making the world a safer place.

havent you ever heard that Biblical quote, "Judge not the Vita, lest you've seen its software lineup"? Truthfully, at this point we don't know anything about the Vita lineup outside of a few 1st party games. We're getting at least 18 new Vita games at TGS. That's exciting, I don't care who ya are.

I already have my Nintendo Lifetime Fanboy award. I've owned a Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL. So I can talk about Sony whenever I want and Nintendo can't whine about it.

1 thing Nintendo loses MAJOR points from me for is being SOOOO slow at releasing games online. They announced that Game Gear games were coming to the Virtual Console forever ago, so...where are they? I kinda am interested in playin Shinobi Game Gear if you couldn't guess.

And they have a slew of awesome 3DSWare games they'll never get around to releasing, like Mutant Mudds, Zen Pinball, Rolling Western, Pyramids, and Mighty Switch Force.

As for the EXACT definition of hardcore, we can all agree the game needs to be challenging. So no games aimed at kids. The next distinction is where it gets tricky. I say a hardcore game needs to star a shirtless gent sporting a headband and a large automatic weapon that likes to attack aggressively.

@shinobi88 Your joking right? Hardcore can mean mean many things but mindless violence isn't one of them. 'shirtless gent sporting a headband and a large automatic weapon that likes to attack aggressively' yes, that sounds very challenging, kill every virtually defenseless person that comes into plain view, I'd never get past the first level. Hardcore is defined by the person, not the game. Would you call Super Mario Galaxy 2, a game that won many awards and also took me many tries to complete the final level 'kiddie?' I think not! Honestly, I think you have no idea what the term 'Hardcore' means.

I dislike the terms "hardcore" and "casual" but you're very much wrong if you think hardcore only refers to games like Gears of War or Mortal Kombat. The distinction is actually between games like Farmville or Wii Sports - things that traditional "hardcore" gamers don't particularly want and things like Metal Gear Solid or Mass Effect. Games like Mario or Pokemon that have no violence are still hardcore games, they aren't designed for the 40+ Facebook crowd.

My problem with this list of games is that not a single title appeals to me in the slightest. Yes, it was a Japanese event and we should have expected them to cater to that audience more.. but like was said, it was a world wide event and the leaked list showcased games that would have appealed to Western and Japanese audiences.

I'm sure some people out there care about these games, but this has only increased how disappointed I am with the 3DS.

A reminder for people. Everyone's tastes CAN be different. Just because someone has different tastes to you does not mean they are wrong, nor you are wrong. It also doesn't mean you have to try to change their opinion or be rude to others.

I also hate this obsession with 'Casual' or 'Hardcore' labelling. Why not just be a gamer?? I remember years ago most middle aged people thought all video games were evil and there were often hysterical cries to ban all games. Thanks to the so-called 'casual' market (namely by Nintendo) these 'middle-aged' people have discovered gaming can be great fun, and has led to gaming becoming mainstream rather than being thought of as for teenage boys stuck in their rooms. Lets just call everyone gamers.

@shinobi You said the only games you want are Kid Icarus, Resident Evil, and Metal Gear? Even if you didn't said that you want these games, these are the only games you mentioned so I'm pretty sure about it... Hmmmmmm. Now I know why you said Nintendo don't know how to cater the westerns, coz you are the one who loves shooting and brutalities and violence, that's what you consider hardcore gaming?

glad i took the 3ds over the vita, it spams tons of rpgs. i was scared they would go too much into FPS.i love FPS, but on home consoles, with a decent screen size to immerse myself in. Handheld is NOT for shooters, when will people understand that. some keep on whining they want a shooter on it. why dont you simply get a ps3 or an xbox and stop pestering us and rage on the 3ds! The 3DS is not for FPS lovers, just get used to it.

hardcore gaming is a made up term as miyamoto himself stated. it does NOT mean rambo style gaming. it can be applied to practically any gaming genre u can think of, from rpgs to hardcore chess players. in the west, sony and microsoft are seen as the more agressive and adult gaming corporations because through their own marketing propaganda and advertising, this is the angle that theyve seized on to gain a foothold, while simultaneously portraying nintendo as kiddie fodder. i own a ps3 AND an xbox 360, and i can tell u that although the graphics keep getting better and better, the games are all samey fps and SOULESS. PLease believe me- the gaming industry NEEDS nintendo now more than ever. Sonys millions may be able to influence gamers through the media, AND steal nintendo hardware ideas when it suits them, but they will never buy/steal one thing- gaming pedigree and the greatest gaming heritage in the world.

Considering that when one of your characters die in Fire Emblem, they're dead for the rest of the game, that's pretty hardcore. The conference was in the Japanese language, in Japan, at a normal Japanese time. Yes, it was broadcast around the world, but there's no doubt the FOCUS was on the western market, or else they wouldn't have stressed Monster Hunter 4. In Japan, the last major Monster Hunter release actually lowered the productivity of the country (albeit only a little) for an entire day. That's insane. That's a BIG announcement, just not to us here in America.

And a new installment to the Mario Land series. What's not to love? And Paper Mario! And Luigi's Mansion plus a BRAND NEW Mario Kart. Oh, and a new Fire Emblem after how many years? Yeah, the Vita has some PS3 ports. Good for it.

Culchobit and Culdcept look pretty crazy. Love that games like that are still being developed in this era of realistic grey bump-mapping excess. And holy man, that Friend Collection trailer.... creeptastic and awesome. Please bring it over to NA, please.

"We're getting at least 18 new Vita games at TGS. That's exciting, I don't care who ya are."

Ok, so you're saying that this is great due to the number of games. How many of those will be great? There were quite a few 3DS titles announced since its release, so it has more quantity. This conference covered around 15 games. Quantity is meaningless without quality, even for the 3DS.

@Shinobi: So if Mario had a gun and started shooting the eff out of Goombas, he would be more hardcore for Westerners? No, and you don't know what Westerners want in the first place. I am an American, and I prefer Mario platformers and RPGs over any FPSs in existence. If you ran any part of the gaming industry, it would collapse within a day.

By the way, all those upcoming Western 3DS games (MGS 3D, Ace Combat 3D, and Resident Evil: Revelations), are developed by Japanese developers.

Honestly, I was so sad when the original Friend Collection never came here to the US..... I seriously hope it comes here. Trust me, translate it well and it WILL have an audience here.

I'm a huge fan of Culdcept since the Dreamcast days (though didn't get to play it til it got to the PS2 for the US), but I'm somewhat sad that it might not come here... the DS version didn't release here. I HOPE it releases here for the 3DS though.

SD G Generation more than likely won't release here (several of their games never came here)... and unlike many people who beg for the series to come here, I actually HAVE played their games before. ...you don't need to be able to read Japanese to be able to tell which button does what (though there is a trial and error). ...and it is a darn good game series, for those that like tactical games.

Culchobit looks simple and fun: the kind of sports game I'd play on a handheld. Wondering if it'll release here though...

Bravely Default is an odd name, but I'd get it. I support Square whenever they actually make a new franchise. Flex their creativity without depending on a brand title to sell it: good for them.

And definitely getting Monster Hunter 3G & 4. I love me some Monster Hunter, but strangely enough I never really enjoyed the game until I played Tri on the Wii. Dunno why. So I'm looking forward to it for another Nintendo console.

Me and my gf love Fire Emblem. So heck yes.Oh and she loves Style Savvy... and she's excited for it.

Honestly, I'm happy with all these games. Though I seriously wish they'd release more games for THIS YEAR. Wish 3rd party support were more solid for the 3DS. ...they seemed pumped for it, but suddenly they feel so much more quiet or ridiculously slow with release dates...

Frankly, most of the self claimed hardcore gamers I've met, only play FPS and car driving games ... to me that fits the title of casual gamer. To me, Hardcore gamer means someone who plays all styles of games, from Tetris to mario, from Call of Duty to Dragon Quest.

Honestly, now that there so many RPGs announced, it changed my mind on the 3DS and I'm definatly getting one.

thumperUK said: Thanks to the so-called 'casual' market (namely by Nintendo) these 'middle-aged' people have discovered gaming can be great fun, and has led to gaming becoming mainstream rather than being thought of as for teenage boys stuck in their rooms. Lets just call everyone gamers.

i love when i see this sort of thing. who do all you 'young 'uns' think were playing in the decades before you? it was us geezers who were 'gamers'. just because the corporations think that they need to appeal in their adverts to the kids doesn't mean we weren't there from the beginning. the adverts showing a granny getting down with a wii are hilarious. they have no idea who older gamers really are and are afraid that their hardware will lose it's coolness factor unless they portray granny & gramps as idiots who just realized that electronic toys exist.

(this isn't a slam against you, thumper, but i really do find it humorous that older gamers are seen as casual or newbies all the time. doesn't matter any more than the constant debate re: the meaning of hardcore vs casual. i consider myself a hardcore gamer who loves her rpgs, platformers and also happens to have a grandson who i make sure is exposed to all sorts of video games/consoles. peace.)

Man cannot live on hardcore games alone. I have a high interest in games like Luigi's Mansion 2, Shinonbi, and Sonic Generations. But man needs at least 1 or 2 hardcore games a month. You guys are pretty oblivious to Western hardcore gaming, but Nintendo had some kind of idea when they announced the initial list of 3DS games. On that list were Saint Row and Assassin's Creed, 2 games very appealing to American college aged hardcore gamers, which is a crowd Nintendo NEEDS to attract to reach their target sales numbers. But those games got cancelled. So as it stands now, Nintendo is losing more hardcore software than they're creating. Not good. Hopefully, the additional circle game attracts some 3rd parties.

I'm gonna give Ninty the benefit of the doubt w/ this conference and believe that it was only aimed at the Japanese crowd. It was just SO freakin depressin last night when I knew there were gonna be at least 5 new announcements, somethin that NEVER happens in a single day, and not a ONE was very exciting and even if it was it probably wasn't gettin localized. If I'm lookin at my glass a quarter full, at least Zelda 4 Swords was announced to have a single player mode. Now, BRING ON TGS!!

What Lan and most of you don't know is that there are separate groups of gamers, each consisting of a VERY large number, in the millions. The 2 high school and college aged groups could be split into 2 sections: RPG lovers, and Gears of War lovers. RPG lovers are Nintendo fans anyway so really doesn't matter what Ninty pushes out to impress em. The Gears of War lovers like some realistic style action games as someone previously pointed out. Lose Saints Row, Assassin's Creed, AND Call of Duty? Say bye bye to the millions of Gears of War lovers Nintendo. AND any hope you had at reaching target sales numbers. You BETTER step it up Miyamoto.

@Shinobi: LOL, and I can assure you there are plenty of people who have never touched a Nintendo console or Gears of War. There are plenty of RPGs on non-Nintendo consoles. Besides, these Gears of War hardcore fans probably only play those games day and night and do not hardly care about any other games, just like some of the COD fanbase. Not every gamer who loves RPGs is a Nintendo fanboy, and there are plenty of gamers who play Gears of War among many other games.

You keep walking around in circles and spewing meaningless words while everyone else is laughing at you. Once again, what is your point?

WOAH! Shinobi is right again. suprise. suprise. Not only was I the only one predicting that the add-on would become a regular feature for every future 3rd party 3DS game in the future on a previous thread, I also was bashing Nintendo's conference last night. Turns out not even Japanese people were excited about it as Nintendo's stock dropped 5% today.

So... you're saying that the add-on is for EVERY 3rd party game in the future?Well, you just lost. Because it isn't for every title... and it's optional for all of them except for maybe Monster Hunter. ...like MGS, works fine without it.

But yes, stocks did go down.Honestly, they didn't announce awesome games that would be absolute system sellers (other than Monster Hunter, which may be also released on the Vita, so it isn't a sure-thing)... and there's still very few love from 3rd parties. Understandable.

But your arguments themselves went downhill since your first post.Don't act like you made up those predictions... you're one of several thousands who thought that. Just quit it already.

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE

There is far too much anger on both sides of the fence in here, and the insults need to stop — otherwise, I'll be forced to start handing out temp-bans. Please consider your words carefully after this point.

As it currently stands, 3DS and Vita are openly competing to replace the DSi XL as my next handheld. The 3DS has an obvious advantage in that it has had a year head start to release software. Thus far, a lot of the 3DS games have been ports which offer very little excitement to me. There are a few 3DS games on the horizon that offer me high levels of excitement like Sonic Generations, Shinobi, Metal Gear 3D, Res. Evil Revelations, and Luigi's Mansion 2. An ORIGINAL Zelda or Metroid Prime game would go a long way in my eyes. One area that Nintendo could have seriously distanced itself from Vita is through 3DSWare and the VC. I LOVE retro games, having grown up in the height of the 16-bit war between Sega and Nintendo. But they have been WAY too slow in that department, releasing only 1 3DSWare game thus far and only 1 VC game per week.

Nintendo had an EPIC fail last night with its conference. It had the world as a stage all to itself and it missed a major opportunity by announcing only Eastern-style RPG's and a few mildly impressive casual titles. They didn't even broadcast the conference in English, which shows a lack of concern for Western gamers. I will say that the add-on helps Nintendo in my eyes, because it will inevitably seduce some major 3rd party developers.

In about an hour and a half, 12 pm Eastern Standard Time, Sony is holding its own conference. It WILL be simultaneously broadcast in Japanese and English. So they've already scored brownie points with me for showing that they care about this half of the world. They'll be announcing at least 18 new Vita games. If a good chunk of those are appealing to Western eyes, then I do believe Vita will take the lead. Still several months before I make my final decision, but every little bit helps.

Bleh. This is all just slowly making me realize that the only reason I play my 3DS is to play games that are 20-30 years old (Virtual Console and e-shop). While I love retro games more than anything, I feel sorry for those that don't and are expecting some good cart games. Nothing of interest to me here, Mario Tennis sounds fun. I'm looking forward to Super Mario 3-D land, though. And the rest of the Ambassador games.

Well, I've seen the Sony conference and I've come to a conclusion. It's really not possible for the 3DS to top the Vita in terms of new games. Nintendo's 1st party games are always going to be epic, but outside of that there is a tiny number of good 3rd party games on the horizon. Developers have backed off the 3DS and haven't agreed to sign back on. The Vita on the other hand, will be launching a WHOPPING 100 games in its launch window. Don't exactly know how long a launch window is, but I assume it's the 1st few months. Just based on the tech available to Vita developers, it will be easier for them to make better looking and deeper Vita games than on the 3DS.

But the 3DS has one REALLY good thing going for it (aside from 1st party games) that's tugging at my soul. The VC. Those old GB games are really cool. A few NES gems I'd like to have. I used to have a Game Gear and I'd love to play those games again and some I missed. Nintendo NEEDS to sell GBA games to the general public. Astro Boy and Ninja 5-0 are legendary. And to seal the deal, Nintendo NEEDS to get VC support from Super Nintendo and Genesis. I know its possible, since the VC will support TG-16, which is on the same level technically as those other 2. They do all that, and they beat the Vita for at least 1 customer.

I'm hardly a 'young un'. I'm 42, and remember when people like me in the 80's were assumed to be spotty friendless geeks simply for liking gaming. You may hate the ads showing families and people of all ages playing games, but you have to admit it has been a commercial success for Nintendo to go for so-called 'casual' gamers.

My parents (both in their 70's) are now Nintendo DS gamers - my mother has four of them!! (Phat, Lite, a Turquoise Lite as she liked the new colour, and an XL). Those adverts, patronising to some, were a large part in them becoming gamers.....my mother is completely addicted to gaming now.

I don't see why there is a need to label people as casual/hardcore. My mother would say she's a casual player but she plays at least 3-4 hours every day!

“deeper” gaming will be provided by vita? sony would give their right arm to have nintendos development team at their disposal. There is a reason why miyamoto and anouma are treated like rockstars. ill say it again, if the 3ds and/or wiiU fails, the gaming world will have lost the most innovative and forward thinking ambassadors of PURE gaming craftsmanship the world has ever seen. my point is, that i (and millions more) would rather buy a nintendo console in order to play one or two amazing games that will be remembered for generations to come (super metroid, mario 64, etc), than own a sony or xbox with 50 amazing looking games which all play very similar and only give you PART of the game at £50 that you purchased, with the levels they left out sold as dlc! we can have this discussion without making it country vs. country, thank you — TBD

@111: Again, you're assuming that quantity alone is good. And while you can assume good quality due to the system, you can't simply say a console is doing good by number of games alone. Some systems had successful launches with few games whereas others had more games that were not as successful. Take the Wii for example, it had a good launch with what...two games?

Here's my thoughts on "new" games. 3DS has less power and less memory for developers to use on games than Vita. I have seen some pretty great looking 3D Vita games with busy backgrounds. Then I watched the Ace Combat 3DS demo and it didnt look very hi-res and had kinda bland backgrounds. Don't quote me on that because it might have been early in development or a low-res youtube vid.

It IS possible to make a fully detailed 3D game on 3DS that's packed with detail and content. Metal Gear 3D and Resident Evil Revelations are doing just that. Those are the 2 premiere development companies that aren't owned by Sony and Microsoft. So not every company would be able to put the skill or time into making games that great. Konami actually had to ask Nintendo for a 4 gigabyte gamecard because Metal Gear was so big. Nintendo should have the 4 gig card readily available for developers who aspire to give us a console experience on 3DS.

But what "new" games really come down to me are 1st person shooters. That is the freshest and newest feeling game genre. There's just not quite any experience that draws you in as much as actually feeling like you are the character. 1st person shooters maximize that experience. I'm not saying there has to be a flood of them. But Nintendo is just not even attempting to be modern if they don't have ANY.

There are a few great candidates for 3DS 1st person shooters: Metroid Prime, Conduit, Dementium, Call of Duty. The 2nd analog stick brings us a step closer to one of those becoming a reality. It will be REALLY exciting when the 1st one is announced.